Fourteen people were shot at a party near Bakersfield, Calif., early Saturday in what authorities are describing as a drive-by shooting.
Numerous partygoers were standing outside a home in South Bakersfield about 12:55 a.m. when a passing vehicle opened fire, according to the Kern County Sheriff's Department.
Of the 14 people struck, two were in critical condition, officials said.
The Sheriff's Department is investigating but is not sure how many people were in the car. Detectives are looking for suspects.
There were about 150 people at the party, officials said.
The shooting occurred on a suburban street lined with tract houses not far from the freeway interchange of highways 99 and 58.
Vic Hager, 63, lives across the street from the house where the party and shooting took place.
In a phone interview Saturday, he said the people at the house party were high school-age. Most attendees appeared to have been dropped off because the street was not filled with cars, he said.
The party got a little noisy, Hager said, adding that "it wasn't out of line."
Hager said he had just retired to bed around 12:30 a.m. when he heard what sounded like fireworks.
"Then the pops got a little slower, and I realized it was a gun, and by the time I looked out my window, everyone was scattering," Hager said.
He estimated that at least 15 shots were fired but said he had no idea who opened fire. When he looked out his window, he said he heard people screaming and saw at least three teens injured and lying on the ground.
A short time later, law enforcement vehicles and ambulances arrived, clogging the street. Hager said most of the people being transported were sitting upright on gurneys or in wheelchairs and appeared to be conscious.
Hager said a woman who lives in the house told him that her husband was shot in the neck, but that he had been released from the hospital. Hager said he set up an awning, fans and other accommodations for the family, which was camped in his yard until they can return to their home.
He said he believes the family includes a man and his wife, a high school-age daughter and possibly a son, but he declined to identify them. He praised the family as the "best neighbors," who watch over his property when he and his wife leave town. He emphasized that they are not "gang-banger-type people."
Hager, who has lived in his home for more than 30 years, also questioned whether the incident was a drive-by shooting. He said he did not hear any noises that would indicate a car pulling in or trying to make a quick escape, and he wondered how a car could have gotten away with so many people in the street.
As of Saturday morning, Hager said caution tape still barred the entrance to the street. Evidence markers were strewn across the street.
Hager said he had not been interviewed by law enforcement as of Saturday morning.